Where Do You Draw The Line and Say No? UW’s Psycho Thriller

Reading to Vegetables

Written by EM LewisDirected by Tina PolzinJanuary 29 – February 9 Glenn Hughes Penthouse TheatreWednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2pm (there is no late seating)

Tickets are $10Runtime is 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission

I haven’t been to the theater in a while, but something about the new production at UW’s School of Drama’s Penthouse Theatre caught my attention.

Set in a hospital, Reading to Vegetables is a psychological thriller that blurs the line between when to say no and when to participate. As the play delves into the subject of doctor and patient ethics, playwright EM Lewis seems to ask us bigger questions about our own moral characters.

EM Lewis was inspired by Milgram’s “Obedience to Authority Studies” and focuses her story on a pre-med student Rachel (Anna Lamadrid), who is hired by Dr. Bennett (Joe Ngo) to act the part of a coma victim for a research study. As the play unfolds, the murky line between what is right and what is wrong becomes less clear.

Without giving too much away, the characters and their stories weave through seamlessly as we slowly discover that things are not what they seem.I recommend going out and supporting these students as they offer us this interesting and provocative performance.

Tina Polzin, a member of the Professional Director Training Program, directs Reading to Vegetables as it makes its premiere on the stage.